Daily Archive

At a conference at Yorkshire Museum this week the methods used by archaeologists were contrasted with the chaos at mass detecting rallies. It was also proposed that Treasure payments should be reduced to make them more affordable for hard pressed museums.

.

Detectorists have objected en masse, one saying “Such a policy would probably see the declaration of Treasure items stopping overnight” (i.e. if they were paid less they’d all revert to criminality!) At one point a photo of a little girl with her piggy bank was displayed and a detectorist opposed that too on the grounds it might be implying “that kids are funding reward fees paid to detectorists …… well below the belt in my book.”

.

Something like this!

We don’t think it’s a low blow. Museums often make public appeals to raise money to pay rewards to those who insist on them and they often cite cases of children and pensioners donating money. There’s nothing low about pointing that reality out. The only low thing is not wanting it pointing out.